(a) Field of the Invention
Broadly speaking, this invention relates to antennas. More particularly, in a preferred embodiment, this invention relates to a low profile slot antenna for use on a military tank or the like.
(B) Discussion of the Prior Art
The recent hostilities in the Middle East have clearly demonstrated the need to replace the whip antennas conventionally used on tanks and similar armored vehicles by camouflaged antennas of low or no profile.
Experience has shown that a tank which is equipped with a large whip antenna is a prime candidate for attack by small arms fire or anti-tank missiles, thus jeopardizing the role of such tanks as effective weapons. The reason is, of course, that a tank that has lost its whip antenna in battle is lost to do battle and, most likely, is lost in battle.
Further, even before the commencement of hostilities, in open terrain, such as desert and prairie, a whip antenna tends to reveal the presence of the tank, even if it is otherwise well hidden under camouflaged netting or behind a shielding sand dune, et cetera. Still further, in densely forested jungle terrain, the position of the tank may be obscured by the vegetation but the RF-conducting nature of the vegetation tends to degrade the electrical performance of the antenna due to shielding and scattering.
In the most hostile environment for tanks, the modern city, the operation and performance of a whip antenna mounted to the top of the tank is impaired mechanically and electrically by the steel and concrete structures surrounding it and by the closeness of the combatants in such a situation.